Tortured Soul Read Online Free PDF

to mine. “We leave now. You either come willingly, or I will give you a sedative that will leave you vulnerable and unconscious.” Her nostrils flared ever so slightly under the quietly surprised intake of breath. She was taking too long to respond, so I reached for the syringe in my pocket.
    “I can’t,” she finally whispered. “I promised Jonas I wouldn’t leave, and, in return, he promised me no harm would come to B.”
    “Your sister is safe. I have my own people watching her and her friends. My security team knows men like Jonas; they can control the situation and keep Rebecca safe.” I left it at that, not wanting to get into the nitty gritty of the criminal aspect of my life right now, or ever for that matter. Her eyes flickered with indecision, and for a moment I thought I had won. The subtle movement in her body told me otherwise; she was going to fight me. Though I was glad she still held on to that belligerent spirit, I didn’t have time for it and preferred to leave the villa quietly, without dying and hopefully without killing. I had enough blood on my hands. I didn’t hesitate to throw her on the bed. I kept my weight pressed against her while I removed the syringe from my pocket. She struggled beneath me, but, much to her credit, she didn’t scream out. I pulled the protective sheath off the needle with my teeth. Emily’s eyes had that look again—unmistakable fear. It was so thick I could almost smell it. Before plunging the syringe into her skin, I looked into her eyes.
    “I won’t hurt you, Em. You’re safe with me, I promise.”
    Her head began to shake in a violent rejection of my words and what I was about to do. I pushed the sedative into her vein, and while her pleading frightened eyes remained on me, I watched her as she became supple and quiet under my body. I hated doing that to her, scaring her like that, taking away her ability to defend herself. She had endured too much of that in her short life, and I swore right then she would never feel that fear again. I scooped her up from the bed and threw her over my shoulder fireman style. I would have preferred to have cradled her against my chest like the delicate flower she is, but I needed one hand free to reach for my weapons if I needed to. The running shower from the room next door had stopped, and I waited behind Emily’s closed door a moment, listening intently for any noise on the other side. When I heard nothing, I opened the now unlocked door, thankful for the noiseless hinges. A quick check of the hall proved it was empty. I pulled my Colt free just in case, feeling far more relaxed with the cold weight of the gun in my hand. I stepped into the hall and turned, making my way for the staircase at the end that would lead into an open living room. I would then slip out the doors that led to the porch, make my way down the beach to the inflatable, and be on my yacht within ten minutes. A subtle noise at my back got my attention and I turned quickly, my gun held straight and steady out in front of me. Nate had wandered into the hall, an empty plate in one hand and a glass in the other. He was dressed, a weapon no doubt on his person somewhere. He looked up, and his cold eyes landed on mine. Shock registered for a split second, and I offered him an arrogant smile.
    “If you survive this, tell Jonas I am taking back what’s mine.” Why I felt that possessive declaration of ownership was beyond me. “She isn’t his to worry about any more. If he harms her family, I will kill him. If he comes for Emily, I will kill him slowly and painfully.” Nate’s eyes flared with fury, and, as the plate and glass fell from his hands, I knew he was taking the only chance he had. He was going to go for his weapon. He moved simultaneously, lunging for the open doorway of the room beside him. I anticipated this though and moved my aim slightly to the right and fired. The force of the gunshot had Nate thrown back against the wall, a red splotch